Mini Assessment 1.5

The following passages are adapted from F. Mott, The Brain and the Voice in Speech and Song and Friedrich Nietzsche, The Case of Wagner, Nietzsche Contra Wagner, and Selected Aphorisms.

Select the passage that has a more academic tone:

• "Is it in any way possible to listen better? I burrow behind this music with my ears. I hear its very cause. I seem to assist at its birth."

• "Noise affects the eardrum as an irregular succession of shocks, whereas a musical sound is smooth and pleasant. With music, the eardrum is thrown into successive periodic vibrations to which the auditory receptor has been attuned."

The following passages are adapted from Mark Twain, “Spirit of the Tennessee Press” and Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek”.

Select the passage that has the more humorous tone.

• "The sixth bullet mortally wounded the Colonel, who remarked, with fine humor, that he would have to say goodbye now, as he had business uptown. He then inquired the way to the undertaker’s and left."

• "Suddenly, he heard a sharp report and something struck the water within a few inches of his head, spattering his face with spray. He heard a second report and saw one of the sentinels with his rifle at his shoulder, a light cloud of smoke rising from the muzzle."

The following passage is adapted from Jerry Spinelli, “Stargirl”.

“Hillari Kimble dragged Wayne Parr out to the middle of the parquet floor. They slowdanced. They fastdanced. They even tried an old-fashioned jitterbug. Nothing worked. Nothing went with the triple-thumping drumbeat but the bunny hop itself. Hillari’s orchid she petals as she beat her fist on Wayne Parr’s chest. ‘Do something!’ she yelled. She ripped sticks of chewing gum from his pocket. She chewed them furiously. She split the wad and pressed the gum into her ears” (173).

Which of the following best describes the mood of the selection?

• Uncontrollable frustration for Hillari’s behavior

• Nostalgia for old-fashioned rituals

• Uncomfortable loudness of the room

• Anticipation for Wayne’s next move

The following passage is adapted from Jerry Spinelli, “Stargirl”.

“Hillari Kimble dragged Wayne Parr out to the middle of the parquet floor. They slowdanced. They fastdanced. They even tried an old-fashioned jitterbug. Nothing worked. Nothing went with the triple-thumping drumbeat but the bunny hop itself. Hillari’s orchid she petals as she beat her fist on Wayne Parr’s chest. ‘Do something!’ she yelled. She ripped sticks of chewing gum from his pocket. She chewed them furiously. She split the wad and pressed the gum into her ears” (173).

Which of the author’s words best supports the previous answer?

• “dragged”, “nothing worked”, “yelled”, “ripped”

• “bunny hop”, “chewing gum”, “parquet floor”, “jitterbug”

• “slowdanced”, “fastdanced”, “drumbeat”, “yelled”

• “pocket”, “petals”, “chewing”, “pressed”

"This morning was crazy. My alarm clock was set for PM instead of AM, so I woke up really late. I just threw on some clothes and ran out the door. I rode my bike as fast as I could and thought that I was going to be late for sure, but when I got there everyone was outside and there were firetrucks all lined up in front of school. I guess somebody pulled the fire alarm before class started. It worked out though, because nobody really noticed or minded that I was tardy."

Which of the following best describes the author’s use of organizational structure?

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological

"There are strange dancing lights in the Arctic skies. Some call these the northern lights. If you want to see the northern lights, the first thing that you have to do is go out at night. You won’t see them in the day. Next, you have to get somewhere high. A mountain top should work. Then you have to wait. If you get lucky and your timing is right, you should see this stunning phenomenon. Good luck!"

The organizational structure of the selection can be best described as:

• Chronological

• Sequence

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

"A sprain is a tear in a muscle. Sprains happen when a muscle is twisted or overstretched. They can be painful. If you sprain a muscle, you should ice it immediately. Putting ice on a sprain will reduce swelling and pain. It may help stop internal bleeding too."

Which of the following does not describe a characteristic of the organizational structure for this selection?

• Proposes a solution

• Provides an answer or remedy

• Describes an issue or problem

• Focuses on explaining a reason